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J. W. CLOSE. Snowlflearer for Railroad-Tracks, 8w.

Patented April 6,1880.

Wznesses,

lUNlTED STATES PATENT Unmet.

JOHN W. CLOSE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

SNOW-CLEARER FOR RAILROAD-TRACKS, 00.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 226,222, dated April 6, 1880.

Application filed December 1, 1879. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN \V. CLOSE, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Snow-Clearers for Railway-Tracks and other Roadways; and I do hereby declare that the followi ngis a full, clear, and eXact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figurel is aplan or top view of my improved Snow-clearer. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section on line 3 y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section on line :0 0c of Fig. 1.

The same letter indicates, the same part in the several figures.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination, in a snow-clearing machine in which steam or other heat is used to melt the snow, of a receptacle for the melted snow and devices for throwin git, when partially or wholly melted, to one or both sides of the track or road, clear of the rails or roadway, all as hereinafter more specifically set forth.

As will be seen by reference to the drawings, my snow-clearer resembles in general form a very large shovel or scoop. its walls A and bottom B are made hollow, and in the latter is an enlarged steam chamber, 0, Underneath the bottom D of chamber 0 are fixed runners or wheels, on which the clearer may be supported when in motion on the railway or other road.

The apparatus is attached in front of the locomotive or other steam-propeller by means of the arms F, and a steam-pipe, G, connects the steam-space in the sides and bottom of the apparatus with the boiler of the locomotive or other source of steam-supply.

Holes h are made in the walls and bottom, as represented, to allow the escape of steam into the interior of the clearer to mingle with and melt the snow it may have collected.

The rear portion of the bottom B is de pressed, as shown in Fig. 2, to form a receptacle for the melted snow, whence itis thrown to the side of the track or road, through any number of pipes l K M, by means of a rotary pump, L, or an induced current produced by the ejection of steam through a pipe from a nozzle connected with the steam-boiler. The latter arrangement is shown in Figs. 1 and 3, where the pipe 11 sends a steam-jet through pipe I, whose lower end opens at the bottom of the depressed portion of the bottom B and draws off and ejects any wholly or partially melted snow which has collected in it. A similar arrangement is shown in Fig. 2, where the nozzle J sends up a steam-jet through pipe K, whose lower end opens in the snow-receptacle and draws off its contents and ejects it with a force proportioned to the tension of the steam.

The rotary pump, if used, is driven by suit' able mechanism, deriving motion from the steam-power of the locomotive. The melted snow enters the pump through pipe 19 and escapes through pipe M.

Across the top of the clearer I place hollow perforated cross-braces M, the forward one of which is connected at both ends with the steam-spaces in the side walls, A. The rear brace I connect by a pipe, to, with an oil-reservoir and use it to supplement by burning petroleum the heat derived from the steam, and thus hasten the melting of the snow.

To prevent the too rapid condensation ofthe steam the interior of the steam-space O and the hollow walls are lined with some non-conducting material, I. If burning petroleum is to be used, this lining should also be non-combustible. In this case I use a lining of baked clay. Where fire is not used wood would answer the purpose.

The apparatus thus constructed is intended for use where the fall or drift of snow has been so great as to render the ordinary snow-plows comparatively useless. Compacted drifts ten or fifteen feet deep are not uncommon in severe winters on our northern roads, and are utterly unmanageable by any of the ordinary forms of snow-plows. They are commonly removed, at enormous expense, by hand-labor, with pickax and shovel. With an abundant supply of steam such obstructions yield readily to the operation of my clearer.

By meansof flexible hose any number of locomotive-boilers may be connected and used to supply the requisite amount of steam to melt the snow and drive the pumps or ejectors.

The clearer runs upon wheels to or runners E, as may be found most desirable, and is propelled by a locomotive, to the front of which it is attached, or, when used on common roads, by some other suitable driving-power. In that case, also, a special source of steam-supply must be provided. WVhen used on streets it may be attached by hose to a stationary boiler, if preferred.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A snow-clearer having the form described and shown, and provided with hollow walls and steam-spaces and arrangements for receiving and distributing steam or other heat, in combination with a receptacle for melted Witnesses:

GEO. F. GRAHAM, CHAS. F. STANsBURY. 

